A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 green water in pond

i'll post a pic in a bit. but, my container pond (a 25?gal container with two smaller ones feeding it) has green water. other than that, every thing seems ok. the fish are living (so far) and the plants are happy... any clues?

I have an 85-gal aquarium outdoor and the water is green also which means algae is growing in the aquarium. It is an indication of too much dissolved fish waste. I used to change/drain all the water, but I found out that changing 20% of the green water work better and less stressful for the fish. I believe changing 20% of the green water in your pond will work just as well.

thanks!

Papito....is that the result of the chlorine within the water? Jiffy your using well water correct?

Shouldn't any city water added to fish water stand for 24 hrs. first...or a dechlorinator be added to that water first before adding to pond?

Catlover

Jiffymouse,

Let me clarify that statement. Changing 20% of the green water should be done daily for about 5 days or until the water becomes clear.

Catlover,

Standing water, light, warm temperature and nutrients in the water promotes the growth of algae. Having more pond plants will help reduce the nutrients in the water.

Yes, "chlorinated" municipal/city water should be allowed to stand for 24 hours or more depending on the volume of water for the chlorine to dissipate.

Using "dechlorinator" is advised for municipal/city water that is treated with Chloramines or what is termed as "chloraminated water" like the one in Los Angeles, California. It takes many days for the chlorine in chloraminated water to dissipate from standing water.

Actually, chloramines are stable enough (which is why they are widely used in most water treatment plants in the US) that they won't dissolve out naturally before the water itself evaporates! This is why, if you use tap water especially, you really must use a dechlorinator. Otherwise your fishies are swimming in poison that was specifically designed to kill things that would otherwise live naturally in the water. Not very pleasant I would think.

Green water is actually healthy for goldies Jiffy. A lot of goldie breeders (the expensive guys!) grow green water on purpose for their prize stock. Admittedly, it's not the prettiest thing for a pond though.

For my pond, adding more plants was the way to handle this. The plants out competed the algae for nutrients, and provided enough shade on the water that the algae did not get enough sunlight. Course, having all those plants in there made me forget about the green water anyway.

ok, got the pics...

full set-up


just the bottom where the fish are


right now, i have about 6 inch long gold fish and the bottom of the pond is about 30 gal. isn't that about right?

Yep....1 six inch goldie is great for a 30g tub. Looks like a great setup...very creative!

actually, it is 6 one inch goldies! but, still the same ratio!

LOL

In that case, they'll work this season, but ultimately, only 3 of them will be able to grow to full size without problems.

i figured. but, i have a second pond in the works, and a 30 gal washtub that i am going to turn into a pond

Well... not exactly!
That could "conceivably" be three married couples that want to have children in the spring!

Cindy

...about 500 children!!!!!!!!

nah, not MY babies actually, i think the local stray cats will take care of that problem if it happens!

Goldies are pretty cheap and sleazy...I don't think any of them have every considered marriage. They just procreate with anyone and everyone.

With the way your set up looks Jif, you may get lucky and see eggs when they spawn next year. If that happens you can just scoop them out with a net and throw them away...it's a little easier than culling cute baby fishies.

If they get out of control....I'll send my ducks.We keep minnows for fishing in my birthday pond(((NOW we know why he bought it for me?!))If we forget to shut the slider...they come for free fishing. mine gets green sometimes,but my ducks are lil poopers too.I can add water and will clear the next day.Dang ducks eat the plants so shade don't work.


But I don't like the corner here,and the other one isn't right either......
I'm in this other corner,which is like my original corner...
But NO one is allowed in this one...

well, i lost a fishy today... but, he made good fertilizer for the aspidistra that i have next to the pond.

and, one of the water hyacinths got goofy in the middle level, so the water situation was taken care of... it all ran out on the ground

no clue how many fishies i'll find floating tomorrow as i had to fill the pond back up... 2 times today, there wasn't enough water to run the pump!

well, no floaters today! and, they were happy when i came to feed them, but i only saw 2... however, it is unusual for me to see more than 3 or 4 at a time, unless it is the heat of the day, then they will come say hi when i feed them.

Orrrr, you can always keep in touch with me and I would gladly pay the shipping and handling to obtain some of your overly eager fishies. )))) Cece

still no more floaters... counted 6 in the pond yesterday... today, they were just "chillin" at the bottom, it's getting a little cool. but one wanted to eat, so i fed him a little bit. the others were too busy shivering!

CeCe...shipping fish is pretty expensive. You may be happier just getting feeder goldies at a pet store or walmart type place. Even to ship within the states, it usually costs upwards of $30...which is hard to fathom for a 0.50 fish!